The Way of Wisdom and Compassion

About Reiki Jin Kei Do

The Story of Reiki Jin Kei Do

Reiki is a Japanese word. The Kanji Rei means spirit, and Ki means energy or life force. In essence, Reiki can be interpreted as spiritual or universal life force energy. Reiki is also known as the Usui System of Natural Healing, a very simple technique to aid in the process of healing and many believe that it leads to a path of self-transformation. Reiki was initially brought to the United States by Mrs. Hawayo Takata, a Japanese American who studied it in Japan in the 1930’s. Reiki has since become the fast-moving energy modality in the West during the past 30 years.

Reiki was developed in the early 1900’s by a Japanese Shingon Buddhist named Mikao Usui. Master Usui was a well-known scholar and respected healer in Kyoto who undertook an extensive study of healing phenomena as taught through history’s greatest spiritual leaders. Through his travels, research, and meditation, he was led to an ancient healing method based on a combination of Buddhist practices performed only by monks and kept as secret knowledge. It is believed that Dr. Usui learned part of this method and received special empowerments and a meditation through which he expanded his understanding of the energy of healing. He spent the rest of his life practicing and teaching this knowledge. One of his students, a medical practitioner named Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, gave this method a proper structure, which lay people, could practice. Today, this method is now known as “Reiki”.

Reiki Jin Kei Do is another lineage of Reiki. This Jin Kei Do lineage progressed from Dr. Hayashi to Sensei Takeuchi, a Zen monk, and then to one of his students, Seiji Takamori. All these Reiki Masters received the empowerments and meditations originally transmitted by Mikao Usui. Seiji Takamori, born in 1907, became a monk and a Reiki Master under Takeuchi Sensei. Seiji felt a deep desire to search for the origins of Reiki, and embarked on a 20 year journey to India, Nepal, and Tibet. After a long search, he found a few monks belonging to a special sect who practiced the Buddho System of Healing, a method similar but more complete than Reiki. Seiji spent many years studying this method with these monks. After receiving all the secret teachings and energy transmissions, he returned to teach meditation and healing to whomever was ready to receive this precious gift, which he then called EnerSense.

In 1990, Seiji Takamori taught Dr. Ranga Premaratna the four stages of EnerSense and also the teachings and empowerments of Reiki, as transmitted in this very spiritual Buddhist lineage. In 1997, Doctor Ranga Premaratna named this lineage Reiki Jin Kei Do – Reiki in the Way of Compassion and Wisdom.

There are several differences in the teachings of Reiki Jin Kei Do and other lineages. One major difference is the attention to detail that is given to the attunements. In this lineage, the attunements are performed one-on-one or in small groups. To properly prepare the student’s body / mind for the activation process, care is given to balance the body energy and assess throughout the attunement process the effectiveness of the attunement. Consequently, attunements for First and Second Degree normally take 25-30 minutes and the Mastership Attunement / Initiation / Empowerment normally takes 60 minutes.

Another reason in the difference from other lineages is the amount of time taken to present the concepts of Mindfulness Meditation and Qigong. These additional concepts are incorporated into the practice to learn how to relax and train the mind as well as to learn how to increase the physical energies of the body. The lineage is also a spiritual one because it emphasis meditation as a daily practice in conjunction with Reiki. Finally, Reiki Jin Kei Do focuses on compassion and opening the heart through meditation and Reiki.

Evolution of Gilbert Gallego’s Teachers is:

Dr. Mikao Usui – 1865 – 1926

Dr. Chujiro Hayashi – 1878 – 1940

Takeuchi Sensei

Seiji Takamori – 1907 – 1992

Ranga Premaratne – Lineage holder – Australia

Gordon Bell – United Kingdom

Gejong Palmo – RJKD Master – 1996 – USA

Gilbert A. Gallego – RJKD Master – 1998 – USA

Gilbert A. Gallego is a Holistic Health Practitioner and Reiki Jin Kei Do Master Teacher located in Fairfax, Virginia/Washington DC metro area with over 15 years of experience working with a variety of hands-on complimentary modalities that emphasize the integration of mind, body, emotions, and spirit.